From Bin Laden To Pak To Nukes, When Putin Spoke To NDTV 23 Years Ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin's interview with NDTV 23 years ago has some lines that in hindsight seemed prophetic about the times today. From suspicion that Osama bin Laden could be hiding in Pakistan to the US' claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Putin shared Russia's stand on sensitive, high-stakes geopolitical issues of that time.

In 2002, a US-led coalition armed with the world's most advanced weaponry rolled into Iraq over allegations that the then President Saddam Hussein had been developing and hiding "weapons of mass destruction", or WMD as it was known that time.

Did the US action represent a hegemonic interest different from what Russia believes to be the correct course of action?

"We share the position of our US partners in the sense that we must make sure that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction and has no such weapons in its possession. And although the world has changed, the tools, the international instruments that were used before to improve international relations can continue to be used and should be used and adapted to the present day situation. And they can be further improved," Putin told NDTV in a measured response.

"...But at the same time we do believe that we should not forget about other hotbeds existing in the world that should pose a certain threat," he added, and pointed at Pakistan, which had for a long time been running a national policy of state-sponsored terrorism to harass India.

"Other concerns that we have is weapons of mass destruction in Pakistan. We have to have a clear picture of where those weapons are, in what status, in what condition they are and what will happen to them in the future. And there are also some other regions of the world that we are concerned about no less than about Iraq," the Russian President told NDTV in December 2002.

The 2002 interview with Putin in the Kremlin serves as a reminder of how Pakistan has always been a rogue state. Putin categorically told NDTV that he had concerns on Pakistan's proliferation of nuclear technology, and exactly two years later AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, confessed to his role in running a clandestine network for a decade.

Putin, who is still President of the world's largest country, is landing in New Delhi today for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of matters, from defence to trade.

To a question about whether Osama bin Laden, the US' most wanted terrorist back then, could be hiding in Pakistan, the Russian President's response served as a harbinger of the endgame that eventually came in 2011, when US Navy SEALS killed him at his hideout in Pakistan's Abbottabad in a high-risk, long-distance nighttime operation codenamed Neptune Spear.

"We are friends with India. We maintain our friendship with India not against somebody, but precisely for the purpose of being friends with the country and further continuing our friendly relationship," he said.

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"But the negative influence that Pakistan used to exercise in neighbouring Afghanistan in previous years including support to Taliban are well-known facts. And it is quite obvious and we are fully aware of the fact that Osama bin Laden not just actively cooperated with the Taliban but he was part of the whole system," Putin said.

On China And India

Putin had always spoken about a strategic relationship between India, China and Russia, despite India and China having a serious border dispute. To a question about what he meant by this strategic relationship, Putin told NDTV, "China is our neighbour and India is one of our major international partners... And we think that we should try to develop our bilateral relations with each of these countries because each relationship is of paramount importance for Russia."

"And our position is as follows. We are convinced of the need for positive development of relations between Russia and India, Russia and China and China and India. And I think that all the parties concerned are interested in that development, all the parties within this triangle," he added.

The Russian President, however, cautioned that the three nations shouldn't get ahead of time or move ahead without proper preparation.

"We should move ahead step by step in a staged way trying to develop harmonious relations, preparing all the necessary conditions. But of course our aspiration, overall aspiration should be to develop our relations in as positive a way as possible."